Texas has the highest number of licensed hunters in the nation, and high-end outdoor gear brands are responding by opening stores in Dallas.
Sitka, a leading outdoor gear and apparel brand based in Bozeman, Montana and owned by Gore-Tex, has chosen Dallas to open its second store. The 3,026-square-foot store is opening just south of Knox Street on McKinney Avenue.
Another top outdoor brand, Kuiu (pronounced ku-yuh), based in Dixon, Calif., will also open its second U.S. store next month at Galleria Dallas North.
The top brands will open as the state's staggered hunting season begins in September and October and continues through the rest of the year.
“Our consumers are there,” Sitka spokesman Justin Brouillard said.
Texas has the most hunting license holders of any state this year, with 1.17 million people. Pennsylvania ranks second with 953,903 animals, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The Knox-Henderson area is “perfectly aligned with our brand, and the nearby Yeti store is certainly helping to attract like-minded consumers to the area,” he said.
Online sales tell where retailers are concentrated. However, to increase sales, direct sellers often rely on brick-and-mortar stores.
The store provides “a hands-on opportunity to fully understand the difference our gear makes,” said Allie Ray, Sitka's retail experience manager.
Texas has long been a destination for major outdoor hunting and fishing chains to expand into new markets. Orbis, which sells the Sitka brand, has multiple stores in the state. There are also Cabela's in Allen and Fort Worth and Bass Pro Shops in Grapevine and Garland. Bass Pro Shops is building a store in Grand Prairie, scheduled to open in 2024.
Sitka Dallas is already open and scheduled for a grand opening on Sept. 30, with Dallas Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch scheduled to appear from 4 to 5 p.m.
Sitka was founded by the late Jason Hairston, founder of Kuiu. He sold the brand to WL Gore & Associates, an advanced materials company known for its Gore-Tex fabrics and other protective materials, in his 2009 year before launching Kuiu.
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